Gifting terror – part 2

DR SOOLIMAN & HIS ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS INCLUDING GIFT OF THE GIVERS (GoG) IN SOUTH AFRICA

The Muslim Brotherhood

Hamas was formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising) and is supported by a wide network of charities inside the Palestinian territories and internationally.  Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood a movement founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928. The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to waging “a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within.” It is banned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAR and more. Dr Sooliman has never dissociated himself from this ideology or indeed the Muslim Brotherhood itself. It is banned in large parts of the Islamic world, eg Egypt, Saudi  Arabia, UAE. It is banned as a terrorist organisation in Austria a European country.    

Al Aqsa Foundation

When Sooliman established the South African branch of the international charity Al Aqsa Foundation in 1991, it was dedicated as he put it, exclusively to Palestinian causes. It was associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. This foundation, both international as well as the South African branch was declared a terrorist funder (including Hamas) and was banned by the USA and other countries. Dr Sooliman has admitted funding Al Aqsa Foundation South Africa with donations of several hundred thousand Rand, in the period before he founded GoG. Sooliman handed over Al Aqsa Foundation to Islamic Relief South Africa Trustee Sheik Ebrahim Jibril Gabriels. He is vague as to whether the Al Aqsa Foundation still existed. He said he did not believe so.

Gift of the Givers

Two years later, acting on instructions from Islamic leaders in Istanbul, Turkey, he created a second entity namely Waqful al-Waqfin translated as Gift of the Givers, one that would not only focus on Palestinian causes but on local humanitarian ones as well. Sooliman explained that GoGs did similar work to the Al-Aqsa Foundation. “Gift of the Givers would not only focus on the plight of the Palestinians and the focus would be on South Africa first,” he said. Whether GoG actually focuses on South Africa is far from clear and in part 3, its activities in Gaza suggest that the South African aspect is a camouflage for Palestine and specifically material and financial support for Hamas.

Al Quds Foundation

The Al -Quds Foundation SA, headed by Ebrahim Gabriels replaced Al Aqsa Foundation in South Africa. Al-Quds Foundation SA describes itself as the South African branch of the greater Al-Quds International Foundation, which was established in Beirut in 2001 by Hamas to raise funds for the terror organization through the guise of charity. It has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US Treasury Department. All the affairs of the international Al- Quds Foundation affairs are run by senior Hamas officials, including Mousa Abu Marzook and Osama Hamdan. They are listed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists register. This organisation is part of the extensive network of Muslim Brotherhood affiliated organizations and was chaired until recently by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi (see below) who died in 2022. It was a member of the umbrella charity Union of Good (described below).

Al-Quds Foundation South Africa was designated as a terror-related entity on World-Check, a database of politically exposed persons and heightened risk agents used globally to identify and manage financial, regulatory, and reputational risks.

Sooliman himself traversed Cape Town’s streets on 5 October 2024 spewing his anti-Zionism and thinly veiled antisemitism from an Al Quds festooned truck which acted as a massive stage, emblazoned with two signs: “AL QUDS FOUNDATION” and “WE ARE ALL HAMAS”.

The Africa Muslim Party

In 1994 Sooliman created and led the Africa Muslim Party to represent Islamic interests in the country’s new democracy. He was motivated to imprint Islamic values on South African society informed by the “religious law of Muslim minorities” He failed in South Africa’s first two democratic elections in 1994 and 1999 to be elected to parliament. The party no longer exists today. It is renamed as the Al Jama-ah Party headed by Mogamad Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks, Sooliman’s colleague in the Africa Muslim Party. Mr Hendricks is a Member of Parliament and carries the portfolio of Deputy Minister of Social Development. This same department is responsible for regulating nonprofit organisations in South Africa.

Union of Good and Al Qaradawi

Based in Saudi Arabia, (also known as the Coalition for Good and the Charity Coalition) , it was founded in 2000 as an umbrella charity consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds which allegedly “funnels” money to organizations belonging to Hamas.

https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/pdf/PDF1/FEB22_05_680981780.pdf

Sheikh Yusef Al Qaradawi headed up the Union of Good. It lasted eight years before being designated as a terror organisation and shut down in November 2008.

The U.S. Treasury described the main aim of the Union of Good to support Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza both politically and militarily. The organization enabled financial transfers to Hamas to support Hamas members, to aid the families of suicide bombers fighting Israel and Hamas prisoners in Israel. It has also funded Hamas charities providing food packages, school equipment and charitable services in the Gaza Strip. Dr Sooliman’s Al Aqsa Foundation donated money to the Union of Good.

Sheikh Yusef Al-Qaradawi was the key figure in shaping the concept of violent jihad and the creator of the fatwa (Islamic ruling) supporting suicide bombing.  He was banned from entering Western countries and some Arab countries. Qaradawi derived his radical Jihadi ideology from the Muslim Brotherhood.

In 2011, Dr Sooliman was presented with an award for serving Palestine by Al Qaradawi who said in 2009 “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler… – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers”. Dr Sooliman’s denial that he hates Jews rings hollow. For an avowed compassionate and humanitarian philanthropist to accept an honour from a hatred filled anti-Semitic monster to the core is a grave moral contradiction. A Jekyll and Hyde perhaps.

Coalition for Good

A registered South African NPO, Sooliman called his organization The Coalition for Good (confusingly similar to the Coalition of Good) and included his co-founders, namely Naledi Pandor, Munther Isaac, Frank Chikane and Ronnie Kasrils .   It describes itself as an information platform (rather than a charity) in somewhat hyperbolic and evangelical terms –

” The Coalition for Good is the gathering of the peoples of the world to eradicate the injustices against humanity. Born in South Africa, we as South Africans, have suffered the ultimate indignity and crime against humanity: Apartheid. 

The Coalition for Good is an information platform designed to disseminate information that allows ordinary people to become activists by creating a narrative that is consistent and based on facts to reveal the Truth.”  

 According to the “Truth” of Mr Kasrils the attack (on 7 October 2023) was “brilliant spectacular guerrilla warfare” and “they swept on them and killed them and damn good. I was so pleased” he said.

Sooliman, the SA government, the ANC and Hamas

Since 1991, Hamas has made a point of developing its relations with South Africa, while presenting its fight against Israel as a shared struggle against racism and apartheid.  The relations between Hamas and South Africa were cemented in October 2015, when a Hamas delegation headed by Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al made an official three-day visit to the country at the invitation of the ANC.  It included a series of meetings with President Jacob Zuma, government officials and ANC members. The ANC signed a memorandum of understanding with Hamas pledging to “support its struggle for the liberation of Palestine.” Hamas has co-operated with BDS and other civil society organizations in South Africa to promote its goals and pressure the government to adopt pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli positions, such as downgrading diplomatic relations with Israel.

South Africa does not regard Hamas as terrorists. The government has never formally aligned itself with U.S. counterterrorism policies or objectives nor do individuals and NPOs sympathetic to Hamas come under any form of scrutiny in South Africa.  Dr Sooliman has cultivated relations and is regularly seen not only with ANC and government officials, but also members of security services, including former Minister of National Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils, members of the Hawks (the special criminal investigative unit) and even senior fraud and risk managers of Standard Bank which is a banker for GoG.  He has ties with military intelligence members as well.

Dr Malik Abou-Rageila, GoG Palestine Country Manager is a Palestinian from Gaza who lives in South Africa and is the founder of GoG’s Poor Patient Fund. He is the “fixer” for GoG’s activities in Gaza. Within the framework and scope of cooperation between the Sharing Hope Foundation and GoG   there is clear evidence that a direct association with Hamas exists as can be seen on their social media pages.

Hamas and South African counter-terrorism law

The counter-terrorism legislation in South Africa is the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act of 2004. The definition of terrorist activity excludes “any act committed during a struggle waged by peoples, including any action during an armed struggle, in the exercise or furtherance of their legitimate right to national liberation, self-determination and independence against colonialism, or occupation or aggression or domination by alien or foreign forces”. However, this exclusion is subject to such activity being “in accordance with the principles of international law, especially international humanitarian law, including the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the said Charter …”. This places the actions of Hamas clearly within the ambit of this law.  Not only activities, but the facilitation of, participation or assistance in, or contribution thereto are a criminal offence.

Despite this wide wording, only one successful prosecution against Islamist terrorism has taken place in South Africa under the counter-terrorism law despite the frequent and continuous presence of Hamas officials in South Africa.   .

Anti Zionism and antisemitism of Dr Sooliman

The chairman of HSF Kalim Rajab extolled Dr Sooliman’s speech as “wonderful” and ‘inspiring’ at what he considered Sooliman’s ethical, positive, and socially healing leadership in pursuit of social justice. Perhaps he was unaware of Dr Sooliman’s pride as a protégé of the pro Hitler jihadist, Sheikh Yusef Al Qaradawi. It is difficult to understand how he could have been unaware of the facade of  Sooliman’s humanitarianism. On 5 October 2024, Sooliman shared a platform under a banner proclaiming, “We are all Hamas” with known Islamist extremists. He said, “Every time we protested, the Zionists were too clever. They were arrogant, acting with impunity, put fear into you. They put fear into corporate corporations, into universities, into communities, into governments, into political parties, into associations. They run the world with fear. They control the world with money. And every time you say something, they terrify you and they say it’s antisemitic.” Inflammatory, conspiracy theory clichés, not words consistent with a gentle inspirational doctor.

He clearly shares Hamas’ ideology of Jihad, and its contempt for international humanitarian law and human rights He trivializes the suffering of Israeli people. Referring to the atrocities of Hamas on 7 October 2023 he said “Israel likes to play the Sad Sack like they are the victim,” (Sad Sack is a comic book character). A more dehumanizing attitude is hard to conceive. He expressed schadenfreude about the suffering Israel is enduring and is ruthless in postulating the destruction of the State of Israel.  “This war is not the end of Gaza; this war is the end of Israel. It’s going to happen very, very soon,” he said to applause.  His utter contempt for Israel’s right to sovereignty under international law is appalling.

In contrast to Dr Sooliman, Dr Albert Einstein a man of far greater stature, wrote powerfully many years ago “Zionism strives not for power, but for dignity and recovery. If we did not have to live among intolerant, narrow-minded, violent people, I would be the first to reject every form of nationalism in favour of universal humanity.”

Dr Sooliman has not offered hope. At least not hope for peaceful co-existence of Israel with Palestinians. He has instead been a cheerleader for intolerant, narrow-minded and violent people.